


Meeting Zayn Malik

by Lilypop224



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-12 00:46:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15328020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilypop224/pseuds/Lilypop224
Summary: A short one-shot. Your roommate gets an email from the official 1D site that changes your life.There's no dialogue at the beginning because there's nothing important being said.





	Meeting Zayn Malik

Your rather annoying roommate had gotten an email from the official One Direction website about the boys. They’d landed in the city near your town the previous night and were taking suggestions of where to have breakfast. The fans could vote, and whichever location got the most votes would be where the boys ate that night.

A ridiculous stunt, in your opinion, but their call. You doubted the legitimacy of it - how many safety concerns did that cause among security? - but your roommate was thrilled.

She tapped your shoulder a few hours later and showed you another email from the site - this time an invitation. The Denny’s that was about 20 minutes away had won, and she’d gotten what they called an Exclusive Invitation. According to the (rather sketchy) evite, your roommate had been a Lucky Winner and could show the email to the bodyguard outside to allow her and up to one friend inside.

She begged you to take her - she didn’t want to take the train alone, and you liked One Direction too, unlike most of her friends. She pleaded with you, voice escalating, until you gave up out of pure frustration.

The train was packed, and your suspicions rose. You quieted them quickly - there was no way Modest would actually make the boys do this.

Was there?

The Denny’s was mobbed, and you and your roommate had to fight your way to get to the bodyguard. She pulled up the email, and the man nodded. Maybe it was real. He practically shoved you through the doors and turned back to the crowd. The door was glass, and you started to seriously worry about the possibility of it shattering.

Your roommate stopped in her tracks, and you followed her eyeline to a booth on the side of the restaurant. There they were.

You noticed Harry’s curls first, and your eyes widened. The boys looked as good as they did in photoshoots, which you thought was incredibly unfair. You squinted, trying to focus - were they wearing lipstick, or were their lips naturally that pink and gorgeous? Eyeshadow, or lucky genetics? It was clear that their hair had been styled and already messed up, and Harry shook his down and pushed it out of his face. Liam leaned forward and said something quietly. Zayn hung his head and covered his face with a hand, shoulders shaking, and Niall erupted in laughter. His cackling was contagious, and soon all five boys were laughing uncontrollably.

There were a couple other fans there already, sitting as near as they could to the booth without crawling onto the table. Your roommate pulled you to the table diagonal from them, and you had a clear shot of Zayn and Louis. You couldn’t help but watch them laugh. They were so beautiful. How was this fair?

The waiter came over and you wrenched your eyes off the boys. It was starting to hit you that you were sitting ten feet from One Direction, and you could feel your heart began to beat faster. “Welcome to Denny’s,” the waiter said briskly. “My name is Paul. I look like a waiter. I’m not.” You looked up at him. “I guard the boys.” Oh. “Congratulations on your email. Here are some ground rules.” He proceeded to warn you against going over to the band, yelling at the band, asking for autographs, taking pictures of the boys, and especially posting said pictures anywhere on social media. You were pretty sure there was nothing he could do about those last two commands, but you weren’t about to find out. You put your phone in your bag to quietly reassure him you were going to comply. “We’ll bring you pancakes and fresh fruit in about ten minutes, free of charge. Water? Hot chocolate?”

You gave him your drink order and what you wanted on your pancakes and he walked away, but you could feel other guards watching you. It felt strange, to be watched, but you couldn’t dwell on that for long. Not when One Direction was ten feet away! They just sat and ate and talked like regular people, which for some reason blew your mind.

About an hour later you got up to wash your hands. You passed two bodyguards on your way to the washroom and tried to act like they weren’t there. You weren’t very successful. You were nearly done when you heard a small commotion and a rise in conversation level. They’d better not be leaving. You’d miss it!

You dried your hands on your jeans and stepped out of the bathroom, and for the second time that morning you stopped dead in your tracks. Zayn Malik was standing directly in front of you, so close that he took a step back. “Hello,” he said with a smile. “I’m Zayn.”

Your breath caught in your throat. “Hello,” you managed back.

“How are you?” At first he seemed like he’d come here for a reason, but now he was almost awkward.

“Good, you?” you squeaked, and willed your voice to return to normal.

“Erm - good, yeah.” He scratched the back of his neck.

It occured to you that the mens’ room was just past the ladies’ room, and your eyes widened. “Oh - sorry, I’m in your way. I’ll just - I’ll go. Pleasure to meet you, hope you’re enjoying your food. I got pancakes,” you blurted, and suddenly your feet were taking you back to your table. You were sure you’d turned a furious beet red, and your roommate’s eyebrows shot up.

“Did you meet Zayn? You’re so red! He went to go to the bathroom just after you did!”

“Did he?” You cleared your throat. “I mean, he did. I did. Yes. I saw him. For a moment. He passed - we said hello.”

“Oh my GOD, you talked to Zayn Malik. I think I might faint and it wasn’t even me! How’s his voice?”

“A lot less squeaky than mine, that’s for sure. I barely got two words out to him.” You caught Louis’ eye, and did a double take. “Why is Louis looking over here?”

She whipped around. “Oh my God. Louis is totally checking you out.”

It wasn't a 'you're hot' look as much as it was a 'who the hell is this girl' look. Either way it certainly wasn’t helping the color out of your cheeks. You broke eye contact and took a sip of water that turned into a large gulp, and when you looked back the boys were talking like nothing had happened.

The rest of the meal passed without incident. It wasn’t until the boys were getting ready to leave that you once again made eye contact with Zayn, and even then it was because he was getting up to go. You gave him a half-smile, and he smiled back. Then Paul was blocking your sight. “Oh, hello, Paul.”

“Yes. The boys are getting up, and we must ask that you remain seated until they’re gone. We don’t want to add to the chaos.” Behind him, several fans were rushing the boys already, and it took three other guards to escort them away. “So, again, keep your seats.”

You settled back into your chair, fully ready to watch the boys walk out.

Your roommate, on the other hand, made a break for it.

Paul grabbed her by the wrist and spun her around. He had overpowered her and she knew it. She had no choice but to follow him as he walked her out the back exit, away from the boys, and you watched in shock.

“That’s unfortunate,” a voice said from her chair, and you whipped back around. Sure enough, there was Zayn, sitting in your roommate’s spot, smiling at you like nothing was unusual.

“Excuse me?”

He swallowed. “I mean, sorry about that.”

What was going on? “Don’t be, it was her fault.” You gave him a small smile. “How do you like Denny’s?”

“Never been before, actually.” He looked around the place, and you looked at him. God, he was gorgeous. You noticed subtle imperfections on his skin and something inside you celebrated. He wasn’t flawless after all! But then his eyes met yours again, and whatever was celebrating just a second ago was suddenly clenching your stomach with an icy fist. Something about his eyes shocked you, and you couldn’t figure out what it was. “Good pancakes, though.”

You laughed, trying to force yourself to relax, and nodded. “I think so too. Great fruit.”

“Yeah? I’m not so much a pineapple person myself, and I think they gave me extra pineapple.”

You stared at him. “I love pineapple.” He laughed, and you couldn’t help the delighted grin that sprang onto your face, especially when he went to get you his leftover pineapple. “Thanks! Now do you think I should eat this or sell it on Ebay?”

He rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, and you giggled. You’d made Zayn Malik smile! Laugh, even!

“They’re going to hurry me up,” he was saying, and you paused with a piece of fruit halfway to your mouth. “We’ve got paid studio time that we really shouldn’t be late for. But I wanted to ask you,” he hesitated, and you inadvertently held your breath. “Would you be interested in - can I get your number? I’d like to see you again. That’s what I was coming to ask you when you went to the - when you left.” He rubbed his neck and glanced at you.

You tried to control your grin. “Sure. I’d love to give you my number. I mean, just give me - I don’t have a pen or anything.”

“Oh, I’ve got one!” He fumbled with his jacket pocket and proudly produced a ballpoint pen, and you wrote your number on a napkin as neatly as you could. Never had you written such clear numbers. 

A smile spread over his face, and he folded it carefully to slide it into his pocket. “Thank you.” Paul laid his hand on Zayn’s shoulder, and he shot up. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you, though!” he called back as Paul guided him out of the restaurant.


End file.
